The Expanse - 1x4 CQB - Reaction

Here we go all the Episode that locked us in for this helluva ride and amazing show. Today we are watching the Episode 4 of the Expanse title "CQB" short for close quarters combat and holy shit did we see one!! The group is getting thinner and the plots are getting thicker. Please if there is anything we got wrong or missed please inform us dudes! We love to discuss!
P.S. MIKEY IS SUPER SORRY FOR FALLING ASLEEP! MY BRO PULLED A DOUBLE AND STILL MADE THE REACTION
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[@Thenormies]

P.S. MIKEY IS SUPER SORRY FOR FALLING ASLEEP! MY BRO PULLED A DOUBLE AND STILL MADE THE REACTION

[@KainErrow]

The Normies That's cool, you just need to put headphones on him while he sleeps so that all he dreams about is 'The Expanse.' If insanity should follow shortly thereafter, blame Rana (no offense, Rana)

[@gabnel1000]

You guys should watch magicians its also a syfy show and it's very good.

[@i_dont_know_who_i_am69]

He looked visibly tired, the fact that he still wanted to do the reaction in the first place is awesome.

[@Loked420]

I hope he at least rewatches it on his own at some point so he knows what's going on next episode.

[@eien1213]

Holy mother of spoilers!! Ankit Kini what the fuck is wrong with you dude??! That's a massive fucking spoiler, is it so hard for you to keep major spoilers like that out of the comments till the reaction is aired. They're a few episodes ahead so hopefully it's already been revealed, cause otherwise you just fucked their whole shit up.

[@operative2136]

One important detail you may have not picked up on in the episode, is the fact that the stealth ships attacking the Donnager were equipped with railguns. In the setting, railguns are a weapon almost exclusively reserved for capital ships (ie. battleships) due to their power requirements and size. The fact that the stealth ships were relatively small and equipped with railguns means whoever is behind the Canterbury has considerable resources and tech at their disposal.

[@bonnieamof7033]

Didnt know that actually. Thanks mate.

[@dragoninthewest1]

@@bonnieamof7033 my guess is the protomolecule technology has some sort of breakthrough in terms of power use, whether it's more efficient magnetic coils or more power output.

[@Ignisan_66]

Protogen corporation is behind everything.

[@campbell91988]

@@dragoninthewest1 I suspect it's more of a "attaching a railgun to a smaller ship is LUDICROUSLY expensive" problem. So Mars wouldn't do it because at the scale you'd produce a fleet it's just not worth solving the power/recoil problems for the vast cost. But Mao's fleet didn't need to be cost effective, they could only produce a few ships with whatever stealth composites they could steal unnoticed. So spending the huge money to put railguns on small ships was suddenly viable because they only made, like, 7 total.

[@ReddwarfIV]

​@campbell91988 I think it's that small ships are less capable of defending themselves. You could fit a rail gun to a frigate but it's useless if the frigate can't reach CQB. The Protogen frigates had stealth tech. It allowed them to hide five ships behind one's drive plume.

[@ShasOFish]

Little detail, but one of the holes is plugged by the emergency manual that covers what to do if something like explosive decompression (what happens after the railgun slug hit) occurs. In the book, Holden is in the room, and he has to desperately try to stop from laughing, since he's afraid that, between Shed dying and the sheer irony, he might go manic and lose his sanity.

[@Thenormies]

That is so cool to hear man. Please keep sharing cool stuff about the book we TV Viewers do not. - Nahid

[@ShasOFish]

It probably won't turn up in the show (or at least not for a while), but one of the ships that is mentioned is the "Mark Watney;" the authors sat next to Andy Weir (author of The Martian) at a convention, and all agreed that their stuff is in the same continuity. So The Martian is now a soft-prequel to The Expanse.

[@matthewletexier]

@@ShasOFish thats a pretty cool little tidbit. Love this

[@Stable_Delerium]

When this show first came on I was the only person I knew watching it. I kept trying to tell my friends about it but no one watched it. I was dying to share the awesomeness of this show with someone and it was super frustrating not having that, which is why I'm sooo happy you guys are enjoying this as much as I do. Thanks for reacting to this!

[@GeneralArn]

Yeah I know the feel, the sci-fi setting is just not for everyone I suppose, or at least the majority will discard it straight away. Despite The Expanse being as realistic as sci-fi can get. Did convince 2 friends to watch by explaining it as a sci-fi GoT and convinced them to watch up till this episode. If you succeed in getting them to at least watch the first 4 episodes you're pretty much golden. They are both hooked on the show now :D

[@KainErrow]

Same here; I honestly think it's because it's on Sci-fi and isn't a remake of an old fan favorite. Plus people just have their biases against this or that TV channel. Gotta push back on that with a show this good.

[@Thenormies]

Your welcome this show was recommended by a viewer at first! They sent us the Blu-Ray then Suraj put a good amount of Pressure. My only gripe is that i wish this show wouldnt categorically be under SciFi because it really puts off certain people like for example Mikey who do not like SciFi shows. I wish more people knew it was more than that. - Nahid

[@Stable_Delerium]

The Normies A lot of people ARE put off by scifi. But you only need to get them to watch ONE good show and their minds will open. Tell Mikey Battlestar Galactica is next!

[@K.C.09]

Fyi Chrisjen is played by Shohreh Aghdashloo. Like Rana pointed out, she's Persian/Iranian. And yes, she's beautiful and a great actress! Besides acting, she also voiced a character in Mass Effect 2 during Tali's personal quest. As a big gamer, it was awesome to hear her voice.

[@KainErrow]

Katrina C. Totally agreed, I remember first hearing about her when 'A House of Sand & Fog' was released, and the issues she had getting non-terrorist parts in Hollywood. (Also, she played Admiral "Auntie" Rahn!)

[@Epicesify]

Shes also in one of the recent Start trek movies. In that big space city, cant remember the name.

[@operative2136]

One of the really neat things about the show is its attention to physics and scientific detail. A good example is the gravity on the Donnager. Two practical methods of generating gravity (rather than the usual magic "artificial gravity" we see in Star Trek or Star Wars) are rotational gravity created by having the craft or station spin, or thrust gravity which only applies while the craft has forward thrust. When the donnager's reactor shuts down and the ship loses forward momentum you'll notice that the ship loses gravity as a result, and then regains it when the reactor and thrusters start up again. It's a small thing but a really nice attention to detail.

[@Thenormies]

I have noticed this.. Its really refreshing how real it is. From them not knowing whats beyond our own solar system to the little things as gravity- Nahid

[@drakgan]

Is thrust a verified thing? Haven't found the math for it.

[@AmarthwenNarmacil]

@@drakgan It's the same effect when you get pressed in your seat when a car accelerates. It's not technically "real gravity" but it does the trick just as well.

[@GuardianOwl]

How they maintain gravity in The Expanse is to constantly accelerate for the first half of the journey, then for the 2nd half they 180 flip the ship and decelerate the rest of the way by firing the engine in the same direction they are traveling.

[@TehIdiotOne]

@@drakgan There's something in physics called the equivalence principle. Physically the force experienced is no different between standing on a massive body pulling you to the ground, to standing in an accelerated frame of reference(for example a spaceship accelerating constantly forward). Thus in the Expanse(and possibly in the future), the best way to generate a G-force that tricks our body into thinking it's gravity, is to just accelerate constantly at 1g.

[@amarokorama]

The Expanse isn't your standard SyFy show. It's actually produced by Alcon Entertainment, like the recent Blade Runner 2049. Supposedly, some accountants at SyFy or Alcon call it "The Expense". ;)

[@Crick1952]

amarokorama It's worth it bro. So glad it's on Netflix

[@KainErrow]

Crick1952 I envy you; in the US it's only available via SyFy (original run), Amazon, and Netflix for DVD.

[@Crick1952]

Gangrel Aussie I press F to pay respects F Well, console yourself in the knowledge you can watch stuff like the Clone Wars cartoon and Stargate on your Netflix and mourn for us who cannot.

[@KainErrow]

Crick1952 That sucks. I'm not even a fan of those, though I absolutely loved the first half of 'Stargate Universe' season 1. I kinda missed out on the original run (of the Orig SG) and picked up the lore later. Some shows and their dialogue (hell, most shows) just don't translate across a couple of decades with the same verve. The story remains good, but the dialogue gets to sounding like the fight scenes in the original Star Trek looked: stilted, and embarrassing.

[@Thenormies]

If this show hits Netflix in the US I expect the popularity to rise like crazy - Nahid

[@LeeCarlson]

They have HAD a Martian on the team. His name is Alex Kamal and he's their pilot.

[@arkadyfolkner]

The 'juice' does several things: keeping you conscious and alert, and also is a drug cocktail to keep high-g forces from causing you to have a brain hemorrhage and fatal stroke.

[@syngyne]

Re: Juice as morning coffee, you probably wouldn't like it very much. :) They go into more detail in the books, but it's basically a cocktail of chemicals that keep your blood vessels from collapsing or bursting, as well as stimulants (and I think some pain meds), all to keep people awake and functional under really high G maneuvers. It's actually bad to be on it for an extended length of time (under high enough G no amount of chemical is going to keep you from eventually having a stroke), and it makes you super sick afterwards when you come down from a big enough dosage.

[@Thenormies]

Thanks for the info! - Nahid

[@biocapsule7311]

In the books both Martians and Belters are physically identifiable. Belters much more so.

[@rdw2257]

Thank you, Chi-Normies for introducing me to The Expanse. Loving following along with you!!

[@Thenormies]

Hell yeah dude welcome to the ride - Nahid

[@KainErrow]

Rana really wanted to go into outer space ... and then the doc's head got sucked out with the atmosphere. Real mood killer.

[@allyourmoney]

Just gotta make sure your space condo isn't in a war zone.

[@Mayhemm007]

Love this episode! It looks like we've got a third faction out there that really wants to pick a fight. They destroyed the Canterbury (an Earth-owned ship) and Earth assumes Mars did it because who else could? Now the same crew destroyed the Martian flagship with their crazy-advanced stealth ships (that was like watching speedboats take down an aircraft carrier) and naturally Mars will assume Earth is responsible, because who else could it be?!

[@knowyourhistory]

The Cylons obviously. They have a plan.

[@Thenormies]

I hope its not Aliens...But with the show going the way it is im gonna guess and say its OPA - Nahid

[@woodwyrm]

Donnagher was a battleship, not a the Martian Flagship.

[@Psykochic916]

Watching this 4 years in the future. Loving the channel and your amazing choices in shows. Still waiting for the Dogma recation lol

[@mannylugz5872]

This is my favorite episode for Season 1. Initially I thought its the Martians who blew the Cant then it turns out there's somebody else who did it and the Donnager blew up too.

[@ItDontDo]

Poor Mikey, he tried so hard to stay awake.

[@Mayhemm007]

... during the most action-heavy episode of the season...

[@polynoctis6804]

If worked over-night shifts you'd understand.

[@KainErrow]

Mayhemm007 But not of the series so far. There's still season 2's two part premier. ;)

[@allyourmoney]

He needs some juice.

[@TheZeroAssassin]

This still remains my fave ep

[@longclaw99]

My 2nd favorite, the battle at the ring station in season 2 is my fave :)

[@jerodast]

the battle/effects + Lopez's amazing performance = my favorite forever basically :) Except for like, every episode where Drummer does something badass.

[@Thyrwyn]

Amos is the best. And Wes Chatham does an amazing job playing him. Daniel Abraham (one of the Authors) writes the best dialogue and creates intriguing, engaging characters.

[@TrinidadBatman]

Mikey was right there in space with them!!

[@KainErrow]

Doing a rewatch of your Reacts while I'm waiting on some PC scans, glad I chose this episode to restart season 1 with you. So much fun! :)

[@Loked420]

glad to see how much you guys are enjoying this. really can't wait until you get to the next season.

[@efetherman]

The freakiest thing about the Expanse is it was basically a space based Dungeon and Dragons game, between friends, turned into books.

[@gunslinger11bravo]

CQB - Close Quarters Battle.

[@ShasOFish]

To add further emphasis, in the books they really press home that anything other than another battleship attacking something like the Donnager is tantamount to instant suicide. "They say one of those can kill a planet" being one of the lines used. That multiple ships are closing in, make it to the point where Big D is using its railguns means that not only has something gone horribly wrong, but this is literally the first time a battleship has had to resort to that. Alex, who is former MCRN, starts panicking because of that, and the implication that if it has reached that point, they will very very likely die.

[@shooter5503]

Not to be confused with CQC "Close Quarters Combat".

[@494Farrell]

both mean essentially the same thing

[@shooter5503]

>people don't know that CQC is a fictional armed mix-martial arts technique created in Metal Gear games and is actually different from CQB

[@494Farrell]

Sailus no, the game had a thing in it called CQC but the term has been arround for a lot longer than MG

[@K.C.09]

I love this show and I'm so glad you're reacting to it! The show deserves more attention. Wish that other Normies would get in on it because I think some of them would enjoy it. Maybe Season 2 :)

[@Thenormies]

Yes, they would enjoy we shall see for season 2. - Nahid

[@tsogobauggi8721]

Nice to see Rana getting excited about the show. I didn't think she would like it so much. Just four episodes seen and she wants more.

[@dapeach06]

Earth isn't a utopia. The Martians have disdain for Earthers because Earth is such a great planet, but Earthers ruined it, destroyed the environment, are overpopulated, and a lot of people live off of "Basic" a kind of dystopian Welfare, whereas everyone on Mars has to have a purpose, and contribute to society, and they have a dream of terraforming Mars. And fighting against Earth has set back Terraforming because they had to spend money and resources on the Martian military instead of transforming. Think about how the Cold War Arms/Space Race bankrupted the Soviets. The Martians don't want to end up losing a generation's worth of terraforming because of an arms race with Earth, yet they also take pride in being the strongest military power, and have started getting more militaristic and less idealistic. So BOTH views of Mars: dreamers working towards a better planet and militaristic war hawks, are both right

[@iTxip]

Curious fact: "Bizi betiko" means Live forever in Basque

[@FrostbitexP]

AHHHH need more reactions!

[@trolleyfan]

The "bullet" that took off his head was just one of the small point defense guns - the big rail guns would have taken out the whole compartment and probably anything after it.

[@Arkalius80]

Pretty sure that was a railgun round. I doubt a point defense round would penetrate that deeply through the donnager's armor. Plus, PDC rounds are much smaller caliber than that. You see the result of PDC hits on the Rocinante in the second episode of season 2, and they're not nearly that big.

[@S31Syntax]

the capital ship railguns fire a slug smaller than your head. You could carry it easily. Its sheer destructive force comes from its high density and extreme speed. The idea is to punch all the way through a ship and hit as many vital systems and breach as many compartments as possible.

[@runningray]

The slugs for rail guns are not as big as you think they are. Their power is not in their size, but their speed.

[@blueskybelyr]

I'm so glad you all like it!!! I was waiting for the reaction to Shed's death, lol first time I saw that my reaction was the exact same

[@allyourmoney]

Shed's dead, baby!

[@Lfeodorovna]

lol i was too

[@syngyne]

Chad Coleman's character's name is Fred Johnson.

[@juandesalgado]

This actor also plays Klyden, Bortus' mate, in "The Orville".

[@KainErrow]

Juan de Salgado His best role still remains Cutty on The Wire, but the dude is awesome. The small changes he makes with his accents and speaking really help each character stand out. Still waiting on Drummer though. ;)

[@jerodast]

@@juandesalgado Holy crap how did I not see that. Klyden seems so much shorter on the Orville haha. I guess Bortus must be gigantic :)

[@MetroVerse]

Just watched this episode and holy shit, if they can keep up this level of intensity, they have a life long fan!

[@S31Syntax]

11:45 - 12:04 the face everyone makes when the show has them by the balls from that point forward

[@dy5534]

ngl this show made me crush on rana so hard back in 2017 haha. haven't checked you guys out in a while, i'm getting huge nostalgia.

[@slytherinslocket272]

I love your cat. Subscribed to your channel because of it... And because of The Expanse

[@tammy0216]

This is the episode that got me really hooked on this show. I'm loving your reactions!

[@natashasullivan4559]

All this time later.. I still can't get over the grandkid talking about throwing rocks... And we had no idea

[@efetherman]

Lopez: "It would have been nice to see an Ocean on Mars. Transfer all control of the TAchi to everyone on this ship." RIP Lopez best last words.

[@jonathan836]

You guys are the best reaction to the Expanse(if not the only one)!!

[@widget3672]

I love Alex's southern drawl, it's because Mars was apparently colonised by Indians, Chinese, Texans and Polynesians.

[@patrickcoleman6429]

"This is fictional." Yes it is, but it is one of the most realistic depictions of space that we have in fiction.

[@jgossettga]

You guys are in for a hell of a show, best of luck😉

[@TerenceBradshaw]

Hehe, I was waiting for you guys to get to this one.

[@joopboom4119]

You guys are in for quite the ride!

[@DominickvdHoff]

great reaction guys!!

[@efetherman]

Bout to see some Close Quarters Battle.

[@allyourmoney]

They just started using railguns. The US navy has one deployed on a destroyer. It's not normally for direct ship-on-ship fire like in The Expanse, but instead to fire a projectile further than any battleship ever could. It could also be used to shoot down missiles. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2iWaKWDa6urp6c Gotta figure that in 200 years railguns will be scary as hell.

[@Thenormies]

Nah bro the future is here and the sad part is people are misinformed they have no clue how advanced we truly are.- Nahid

[@efetherman]

"nothing to be afraid of the rocks burn up in the sky" ~ Avasarala's grandson.

[@efetherman]

You must have missed the Martian Jealousy of the XO Lopez giving that crew full command of a Martian Gunship, the Tachi.

[@LeeCarlson]

Mars is a military power. Earth has MORE ships, however, Mars has more technologically advanced ships.

[@Stygiophobic]

When he says space probably isn't like this, this show is known for how scientifically accurate it is when it comes to all aspects, minus the futuristic technology really.

[@widget3672]

Yea, the only magic in this show is the power densities obtained by these engines and reactors - but everything else is brilliantly real.

[@efetherman]

The XO knows NO ONE LIED, except maybe Shedd, when he confessed to everything. Bizzy dead!

[@LadyVenomWay]

Love the shade of lippy Rana, Aww Mikey is so tired lol nice one for staying awake, sleepy pat needs to take notes lmao jk. Nice one guys!

[@efetherman]

I'm so old I remember doing something like this, in the Infantry.

[@efetherman]

CLOSE QUARTER BATTLE, OH MY.

[@113Branty]

Close Quarters combat.

[@Triskaan]

AAAAAH YES ! Here we go ! :)

[@dolnick7]

DO NOT cut off that awesome outro music!

[@specialepisode6463]

Yo!! Is your washer on in the background? Dope.

[@emPtysp4ce]

This show is actually incredibly true to life in terms of what space is like. Belt and all.

[@TerenceBradshaw]

LOL You know Avasarala's actress is Iranian, right?

[@efetherman]

He was totally being boarded by the Flagship of the Martian Fleet, and he was scared. By the way, he's on the Flagship of the MCRN, IN THIS EPISODE, and someone getting spanked.

[@ngatiramona]

Great reaction! The kitty is adorableness. 😍

[@drakgan]

Kitty is life.

[@efetherman]

THROWING ROCKS SHOULD BE THE GREATES CRIME IN A SOLAR SYSTEM, SO THAT SCENE WITH AVASARALA AND THE KID, "DON'T WORRY GRANDMA, THEY BREAK UP IN THE ATMOSPHERE." THEY CALL THAT "FORESHADOWING"

[@Raidanzoup]

This episode is wild.

[@efetherman]

man's just hanging out, he's not dead. Waiting for his gal to save him.

[@efetherman]

CLOSE QUARTER BATTLE because the Martians didn't think they could be boarded. REMEMBER THE CANTERBURY~

[@outlander1998]

favourite episode of the 1st season

[@efetherman]

Danger Close! Close Quarters Battle

[@efetherman]

seriously, MR. Mormon do not piss off the builders.

[@gilserrano8301]

so watching you again

[@efetherman]

Watch this leader. Lopez being a great XO, and Mars being a great no he's not leaving his men. He's not leaving his men.

[@efetherman]

You were closer on your guesses of who it was, with your guesses last episode.

[@efetherman]

"Don't fuck with the Aqua!"

[@cascalonggaming4491]

Close Quarter Battle, on the Donneger.

[@efetherman]

CLOSE QUARTER BATTLE INFUCKING COMING STRAP IN. Oh, Shedd. RIP.

[@efetherman]

Before she sees the truth, Naomi Ngata, airlock jumper, OPA. The point is the Captain is right? Alex, no worries he gets cancelled.

[@efetherman]

In the future, you'll understand he was trying to slingshot around a gas giant... Bizzy dead now.

[@gerardchartier9016]

I love your cat!

[@LeeCarlson]

Notice that Holden did not abandon his crew. He takes responsibility for them no matter what.

[@joka619]

poor martian interrogator

[@efetherman]

Jamming the Flagship of the Martian Fleet. That's not the OPA.

[@michaelperussina2835]

Other dude likes space shows now

[@mehlev]

Hey Normies and fans!! I'll preface this by saying I'm super obsessed with this show. So glad I found these old reactions, I hadn't been with the Normies then and didn't know you did reactions, Yahoo!!! This episode was where I gave up the first time watching for exactly the opposite reason as most claim: the episode's realism. I felt like the run across the catwalk was so unbelievable, especially when Jim and Naomi have that cool zero G moment. (I ended up trying again and got seriously hooked.) My problem with that moment I think comes from the sparks hitting the catwalk. First, the baddies are unbelievably terrible shots, they're raining hellfire and only get Amos once? Yeah right. But my biggest problem comes when James and Naomi float away & the sparks are still hitting the rails of the catwalk, indicating bullets are still flying accurately and the bad guys are still firing accurately. Yet none hit James and Naomi? Whaa? ... I wish the show had shown the gunfire stop or start to go all over the place and shown the bad guys floating out of control too. Then I would've believed that moment, but the fact that they're in the middle of the catwalk, stationary, for so long and yet they're never once hit .. that made me throw up my hands and abandon the show, it was too corny and unbelievable imo. What do you all think, did I miss something that explains away my opinion?? I'd really like to know! I'm so glad I tried again because it's now one of my favorite shows on tv! Love your reactions btw, can't wait for S4!! Hope you react to it beratnas!!!

[@alexsclewis]

I think that scene was drawn out longer than would be realistic just to clearly illustrate jim and naomi's catwalk maneuver... If they had all just bolted across the bridge in relative safety, they miss the opportunity to illustrate the complications of zero g. This scene also bugs me a bit, but remember it's in slo-mo, so they're not actually out in harms way for as long as is depicted. Agreed it could have been done more realistically, but i see why they chose this. Not as bothersome as that scene in Drive where the car sounds like its speeding up but doesnt actually. God damnit.

[@efetherman]

Whoever they are, they have the tech guys outteched.

[@efetherman]

How you saying he's dead, he ain't learned Belter yet!

[@efetherman]

Come'on Miller like a thermometer in a Turkey!

[@KainErrow]

12:02 - Oh my god, is he okay?!

[@outlander1998]

just a scratch

[@tsogobauggi8721]

Just a flesh wound.

[@Ignisan_66]

Tis but a scratch.

[@efetherman]

CQB is Close Quarters Battle, for you Civilians.

[@efetherman]

SCREAMING FIREHAWKS.

[@russellward4624]

Cat in the middle is batting 0 for 1000 with his predictions.

[@efetherman]

She trusts Holden. Lopez already trusted Holden, but no, he's not leaving without his crew. Holden could see Yao about to HMFIC scuttle.

[@efetherman]

Shit Hits the Fan CQB Close Quarter Battle.

[@efetherman]

Something the Donniger should never be in. Cause it's a Battleship.

[@rakwraithraiser7315]

He was in the walking dead the arrow the wire he did a lot of TV shows

[@efetherman]

Holden started the Revolution? Chrisjen pissed about it too. Havlock is just hanging around.

[@hichamdan1532]

dude on the left looks like Nas ya'all

[@efetherman]

Close Quarter Battle

[@efetherman]

Did that guiy clean the filters?

[@emwungarand]

y'all switched spots and it's throwin me off